Searching For The Cursed (Shattered Souls #1)

Chapter 5

"How old are you?"

Sreeshanvika blinked at the question dumbly as Shankhini stared at her strangely.

"Twenty-six?" She replied in confusion glancing at the large globe that was exerting smoke continuously. Shankhini threw something on it and this thing had started exerting liquid smoke vigorously.

"Are you sure?" Shankhini asked looking at her closely like she was trying to solve some puzzle.

"Twenty six years, seven months and thirteen days to be exact. I'm pretty sure. She practically grew up in front of my eyes since the day she was born. But what's with the question?" Uma said getting impatient.

After Sreeshanvika lost consciousness, she was brought to Shankhini's lair. It was a cave like structure that was hidden deep into the forest with tree barks, veins and leafs. Sreeshanvika had opened her eyes to find Uma hovering over her with worry while Shankhini sat in dhyan (meditation).

And now as Shankhini started to work on finding the answer to her questions, Sreeshanvika felt weirdly examined.

"And since when have you started feeling the pain and push of your mate?" Shankhini asked reminding Sreeshanvika that Acharya Nabgah had asked something similar to her too.

"I----I don't remember exactly." Sreeshanvika said trying hard to remember. "I never really gave it any thought until the dreams started."

Now that Sreeshanvika concentrated hard, bits and pieces were coming together. A sudden tremor through her spine, a burning sensation in stomach or a muscle spasm in hand, or suddenly feeling her ankle twisting when she was actually sitting, these random incidents had never seemed serious or meaningful to her. But now that those dots were getting connected, she remembered these things had been happening for years.

"When Sreeshanvika? When have you felt the push in your mind? When was the time he invaded your mind for the first time? When have you opened up to him?" Shankhini asked in a low whisper.

Sreeshanvika gasped as realization hit her.
"After one week of my parents death!"

What Acharya said, it started to make sense now. It hadn't happened in one day or week or year. It had been in the process for years! Since she was a child.

After her parents' death Sreeshanvika was completely broken and couldn't accept their sudden demise. The first week had passed by with her constant cries and depression. In her sorrow and pain, she had stopped eating, talking or getting up altogether. Her emotion had been on its peak at that time.

And that was the time when she had felt the soothing brush in her mind for the first time. A slight non existent mental touch that had provided warmth and calmness. Warmth had filled the cold barriers of her mind and melted the sorrow slowly. The calmness had seeped through her pores and supplied the strength to accept the bitter truth. It had coaxed her out of the self isolation and urged her to live again. The soothing stroke provided her with an unseen amity that remained with her forever.

"He reached out to you when your emotions were the strongest. To soothe your wounds probably. He had blocked his way though, so you could not reach out to him, could not feel his presence or sense his struggles. But with time he weakened. And thus, you started to feel him.

But by that time, you have gotten so used to his presence in your mind that you couldn't differ him from your own. Your minds slowly merged as he couldn't protect you anymore. But I still see the path blocked. The barrier is weak though and extreme feelings from him is sleeping through it. That's why you started to have those dreams and felt his pain."

Shankhini said looking closely at the globe.

A lone tear slipped from Sreeshanvika's eye as she realized something. As she realized, for years that man had been supporting her, comforting her, protecting her. And all these time he had been the one who had endured immense pain and torture. All these years he provided solace to her while he himself had been burning.